MEET ME MONDAY – MY BODY COUTURE

There’s something so playful and positive about Janis from “My Body Couture”. Even when reading her feature you can’t help but smile. Take a peek!

Janis – My Body Couture

What do you make / sell? Tell us about yo’ self.

I own a private, one-on-one coaching and movement business in the Devenish, called My Body Couture. It’s a secret little gem of a workout and nutrition space.

How long have you had your business?

The doors opened in August 2013

How did you get started?

I spent 10 years in the fashion media, first in Toronto as the Canadian Fashion Director for Harper’s BAZAAR, later relocating to New York City where my posts included employment at IMG in the division that was then called Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week.
While in Toronto, one of my long-held life goals was to “own a pilates studio”, and I lived a few kilometers from the world headquarters for the world’s largest global pilates brand, STOTT Pilates. So I went back to school, riding my bicycle uphill (only one way, thankfully!) after work every day for a year.
I spent my “lunch breaks” instructing at a private gym – Totum Life Science – which soon turned into weekend clients as well. I also saw private clients in my condo building, and I thank each and every one of these people for trusting me back in the day!
When I moved to New York, I continued my education spree: I wanted to balance my fashion life by meeting some more health nerds. So I went to nutrition school. And then I added another certification called Yamuna Body Rolling.
My personal life changed in 2010/2011 and I unexpectedly moved to Calgary. I got out my binoculars…not much for fashion media here. So onward and upward. I knew nobody, but I forged ahead with my dusty dream of opening a studio.
Two years later, without so much as a business plan, I randomly decided to call a corporate real estate agent “just to see what was out there”. We parked outside the Devenish and I knew I would take a space there if it was available…
Months later, new floors, new paint, new lights, new ceiling…and my dream came true.

Who or what inspires your work?

My clients….so much. I specialize in working with tricky clients, helping them look and feel more comfortable in their body.
A client named Jenny changed my life: she had an aggressive cancer treatment that left her with “avicular necrosis”, basically death of the blood flow at the major joints. In her early 20s, she’d had her hips replaced, and when the doctor told her her shoulders were next, she came to see me to see if exercise could buy her some time.
With the combination of Pilates and Yamuna Body Rolling…we stopped the procedure. Her last steroid shot was the week she came to see me, and 2 years of 2x a week sessions, her doctor cleared her shoulder joints as healthy.
We keep in touch, and I’ve watched her life continue to flower as she moved away, got married and is now pregnant with her second child. Jenny changed the way I see my work and my ability to impact someone’s life.

What do you dream for your business in the future?

I’m in the early stages of writing a book. So: more writing, more speaking, more sharing. And upscale events.

What’s your favourite social media platform and why?

I love Facebook. It’s a place to share photos, but also to share my voice. My business has a small but avid following on Facebook, and I love sharing tips and thoughts every day.

How do you pick yourself up when things go wrong?

Flowers from Small Flower {floral studio}. I love them so much.
A massage from Jeri-Lyn Chisholm at Apex Massage. She’s fierce but relaxing.

What’s one thing no one knows about you? Give us an interesting fact!

I have met some of my life-long friends in odd ways: I met my friend Erin on a flight from Alberta to Toronto; I met my friend Sumit at the airport in the immigration line at Newark; I met my friend Brianna at a cab stand after a Toronto Fashion Week show. Etc.